Corruption in Vietnam

Corruption in Vietnam is pervasive and widespread, due to weak legal infrastructure, financial unpredictability, and conflicting and negative bureaucratic decision-making. Surveys reveal that while petty corruption has decreased slightly throughout the country, high-level corruption has significantly increased as a means of abuse of political power. Corruption is a very significant problem in Vietnam, impacting all aspects of administration, education and law enforcement.

Vietnam is an authoritarian one-party state under the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). The party claims that corruption has moved up the political agenda in the country, and the legal framework for tackling corruption has become "better developed". However, political academics have cited that such efforts are likely a cover for a political purge between factions of the party.

Vietnam also scores one of the highest rates in terms of bribery practices – the rate citizens have paid a bribe to key public institutions over the past 12 months, at 65%, is second only to India with 69%. Corruption is considered an obstacle for doing business in Vietnam, and the use of facilitation payments are widespread when dealing with frontline civil servants in all levels of society.